Council two-faced on condo garbage

I recently received my 2018 property tax notice from the city and was excited to see it trumpeted waste removal as one of the daily services funded by our property taxes. No, wait — in the case of homeowners living in a condo, unlike other homeowners, this is not a service provided.

Condo owners, like all other homeowners, were proud to help balance the 2017 budget by paying a surcharge on their municipal taxes.

Councillors Sharron Bryce and Bob Hawkins, however, during the 2018 budget debate likened the request to reinstate the Condo Waste Rebate to double dipping, or somehow not wanting to pay our fair share. Condo owners are contributing an additional $500,000 by losing the rebate for services not provided.

There was hope when Mayor Michael Fougere, following the May 28 meeting, told reporters that he supports the condo owners’ position. No, once again, rewind. It was his deciding vote in the 2018 budget debate that axed the motion to reinstate the rebate in lieu of service.

At least city council understands the plight of condo owners, right? Councillors Bryce and Hawkins rewarded condo owners’ concerns by recommending a request to reconsider the costs and alternatives for reinstating the rebate in lieu of services be referred to the broader waste management review currently underway. It was suggested this would be resolved in time for the 2019 budget debate. Full stop again — a few days after it is reported the city is now going to charge everyone for their garbage. So soon everyone will get to know what it is like to live in a condo.